5 ways to fix a black TV screen

You’re used to your TV being bright and full of colours, whether it’s while binging your favourite show or hooking up your PlayStation. But one fine day, turning your TV on doesn’t seem to bring these colours in front of your eyes. You, unfortunately, are a victim of the dreaded black TV screen syndrome. But worry not, we’re here to help you out. Here’s how to tackle an unresponsive, black TV screen.

What is the black TV screen problem?

As the name suggests, this is when a TV shows you nothing but an all-black screen, stopping you from watching any content or in some cases, accessing any of the settings or options on your TV. This could be a hardware-level issue, a software bug, or something more. Here’s how to fix it.

5 ways to fix a black TV screen

Here are five ways to diagnose what’s wrong with your TV, and how to fix it.

1. Turn on the TV

The very first pointer in our list may sound quite obvious, but it could be a genuine issue, especially if you have an OLED display panel. With the pixels not emitting any light, it is hard to distinguish a TV with a broken display panel from one that simply hasn’t turned on yet. Try turning on your TV once again to eliminate this issue.

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It could also be possible that you have a faulty remote control, or one that needs new batteries. You can always try turning the TV on with its physical power switch or replacing the batteries on the remote itself. If you can confirm that the TV is turning on, but you still see a black screen, you can move forward.

2. Deactivate sound-only, power-saving modes

Some TVs may come with a sound-only mode feature, which is great for saving on energy consumption if you often use your TV for music or audio podcasts. However, if someone else enters this mode, or if a kid accidentally turns on the feature, you may think the TV has gone bad. Check if any kind of sound-only mode is on and turn the feature off.

If your TV works fine but goes black automatically after some time of watching, it could likely be due to some form of power saving mode in action. Check your settings for any power-saving features and tweak/turn them off to get rid of the black screen appearing on its own.

3. Check input connections

There’s a chance your TV is fine but is not able to properly receive data from your set-top-box, console or any other media device. If you are able to access on-board elements like the TV’s own settings, you may have a faulty or loose connection.

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Check all input cables for the TV’s HDMI port carefully for a good connection. If the cables feel loose, pull them out and re-plug them. You may need to consider replacing your HDMI cable if this doesn’t fix your issue.

4. Reset your TV

If turning on your TV and replacing or fixing the cable connections doesn’t work, you may be facing a software issue. This thankfully, can be fixed with a reset. Refer to your TV’s manual or the brand’s website on instructions to reset the TV. On Android TVs for instance, you can perform a reset by navigating to Settings > System > About > Reset and following the on-screen instructions.

5. Consider professional repair services

If all the above methods have failed, you may have a major problem at hand, like a fried circuit board or a burn-out backlight. These issues are not easy to fix yourself. This is a good time to call in for professional help, as a trained technician may need to open up your TV and diagnose which component is faulty.

Remember that replacing major components in your TV can be an expensive affair, and unless you have a warranty or an extended warranty plan to protect you from such high costs, you may also want to consider getting a new TV if multiple major components need a replacement.